IND vs BAN: Ravi Shastri's message to struggling Virat Kohli - 'You have got to move with times'

Add as a preferred source on Google

IND vs BAN: Former India coach Ravi Shastri came up with a piece of advice for Virat Kohli after his failure in both the innings of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

Virat Kohli was dismissed for six runs in the first innings after he edged a delivery into the gloves of Litton Das. In the second innings, he was trapped in front of the stumps on a delivery from Mehidy Hasan Miraz while he was batting on 17.

Even though Kohli made the blunder of not reviewing despite the ball touching the bat before hitting the pads, his vulnerability against spin came to the fore once again.

Shastri, who worked closely with Kohli during his stint as Team India head coach, suggested Kohli to adapt, and take a more attacking route against the spinners. He reckoned that Kohli should look to sweep and reach the pitch of the ball more often.

"He has [gotten out to spinners] especially in the last 2-3 years. But he has scored a lot of runs too. What you want to see him do more is use his feet. Get to the pitch of the ball, probably employ the sweep. You’ve got to move with the times, don’t be afraid to go over the top when the field is up. You could try and do things to unsettle the spinners rather than allowing him to keep bowling at you. It’s what he did a lot when he scored a lot of runs," said Ravi Shastri while commentating for JioCinema.

"Also some of the tracks that India have played on. It’s not been easy. Plus I know a few dismissals where like Shubman Gill in the first innings, he’s gotten caught down leg wide. Funny dismissals. He’ll be aware of it. That’s for sure. There is no batter who doesn’t remember. Obviously you find a method of finding a solution. Find out what works for you and stick with that," he added.

Not long ago, Kohli was dismissed by spinners in each of the three ODIs against Sri Lanka in August. In Test matches since the start of 2021, Virat Kohli has played 27 matches and scored 1553 runs at an average of 34.51. Only two hundreds have come during the period.